


Overload

by SunsetOrchids



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 11:05:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10943211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunsetOrchids/pseuds/SunsetOrchids
Summary: The Andromeda Initiative's crossed galaxies and begun to settle into their new home. Human Pathfinder Ryder's been sent with a crew to begin searching for habitable worlds but she hasn't been the most...inspiring Pathfinder so far. Her story begins after Eos when it finally hits her how she's going to pull off this Andromeda business and begins to learn who's got her back in spite of everything.





	Overload

**Author's Note:**

> Using my Ryder's name Rosé, she's really not interested in being Pathfinder or even being out in Andromeda for her own reasons at the moment but this is the first time I think she started to own the title so that's where I wanted to start :)

The air’s humming. Beneath her the subtle vibration of the Tempest lulls her into a semi-conscious state. The Pathfinder breathes in and out, in and out, willing the issues stacking up to go away for at least a minute, drowning out the incessant voice in her head with a playlist created six hundred years ago in a place she’s never returning to.

It’s a lot to take in. A lot to tell her she’s in charge of when she didn’t want to be here in the first place.

Everything’s still new and in disarray in the Andromeda Initiative—nothing’s finished. The people in charge are divided and the natives they’ve encountered thus far are hostile. She gets to deal with them. She is, unfortunately, still the Pathfinder no matter how many times she tells herself otherwise. Eos was a mess, but not nearly as bad as Habitat Seven went.

Her father made the final decision to crown her Pathfinder but he’d been wrong. She feels it in her bones how wrong he was, becoming a martyr at the last damn second instead of continuing his own science project. She wasn’t supposed to be here, guiding some stupid team to their doom in a galaxy that clearly doesn’t need them. Her brother should’ve been picked, or literally anyone else. She was just here so someone could keep an eye on her and…now it was just her.

_Breathe in, out, in, out. Nothing’s wrong, you’re fine, you’re numb, it’s always been this way, the only difference is now there’s no one to bail you out_.

The music stops involuntarily. Annoyed, she pokes an eye open.

“Put it back on or I’m going to—”

“Apologies, Pathfinder. You’re needed on the main deck.”

“For what?” They only left Eos recently. She liked the safety of her quarters; no one was allowed in and she could therefore fall apart as she wished. Pretend she wasn't way out of her league in the presence of the Krogan and Asari, or the other competent mates of the ship.

There’s a pause as the offending AI assesses the situation. “The Tempest has been accosted, Pathfinder.”

She hates when she can detect judgment in it’s artificial words. It’s too smart to her liking. She snaps both amber eyes open, baffled as to how she’d miss the Tempest being captured but it’s right—a monolithic structure looms right in front of her quarter’s windows, stoic and unmoving. It hits her in the chest, doom practically inevitable.

“Motherfucker,” she mutters under her breath, scrambling to her feet and stumbling for the door, a hundred thousand things going through her head as she races down the hall toward the main bridge. The ship’s oddly quiet. She can’t be too late, can she?

_You’re in charge now. These people are depending on you. Keep them alive, at least until we get back to the Nexus._

Everyone’s already at the bridge and have been for a while. They stare at her bare feet and pajamas like they aren’t sure she’s qualified. She feels the same. She grips the deck controls hard anyway, as if she’s meant to be here. Her brow lowers in frustration while she scans the all-seeing monitors. That’s…one big ship out there. And it’s not just one. There’s dozens. Hundreds, maybe. Shit.

“The hell is this?” she demands, hoping her voice projects authority. It doesn’t—she sounds like a brat. She looks around behind her, praying someone (besides the AI) has answers. “Anyone?”

“Scans detect the same frequencies used as the hostiles you’ve encountered recently, Pathfinder,” the AI informs her. She wishes it were tangible; then she could slam it to the ground for stating the obvious.

“Yeah, I kind of guessed that, SAM,” she flatly informs it, twisting to study the lethal ship beyond the safety of their own. “So…fuck.”

_Don’t say it, don’t say it out loud. Don’t ask what we’re supposed to do or who to call for help. For the love of god don’t show them what a weak bitch you are._

“They’ve got us pinned against the scourge,” Kallo infers to her right, worry just beneath his usual upbeat tone. She’d like to slap him, too, but refrains and starts counting. He’s right about the scourge, they’re stuck between curtains of the dark matter and way too many ships. Thirty-six, thirty-seven…

“They are scanning us, Pathfinder,” her AI tells her, flustering her and ruining her count. What are they supposed to do? No one told her they’d run into an armada out here. They’re clearly outnumbered; they’re going to die.

“W—well scan them back,” she hurriedly growls, unsure what else to do. She’s still flummoxed by the sheer number. Her navigators start the task but are thwarted as their controls lock up.

The monitors are flooded with the mug of one of the ugliest creatures she’s ever seen. It looks like a…a little like the vorcha back on Omega but it’s got the same characteristics as the kett. If she weren’t so damned scared they were about to be vaporized she’d think the halo of bone over it’s head was ridiculous.

“Where is the one that activated the Remnant?” it speaks, and she’s relieved because it only wants her. Great. At least this nightmare will be over and then the crew can head on back to the Nexus.

“Their DNA signature is there,” it prompts when no one responds. Probably because they’re still impressed by the sheer brutality of it’s face. “Answer me!”

Sucking in her breath she exhales hard and cocks her head to the side, squinting at the screens, studying the ugly fucker. “Uh, who’s asking?”

For wanting an answer it doesn’t seem willing to give one itself. Warnings ping off all across the bridge; to her right and left the navigators scurry to reclaim control.

Suvi breaks the first wave of bad news, doing her best to undo whatever’s been wrecked. “They’ve locked navigation.”

“We’re being steered into that ship,” finishes Kallo, even quieter than before. At the helm the Pathfinder’s fingers tighten on the deck. She rightfully assumes he’s talking about the big one, the one behind Halo’s head on the monitors. Fuck. If they get sucked in… _You’re responsible for these people, all of them._

“I did it, okay?” she spits at Halo, voice catching as it’s milky eyes hone in on her. “What do you uh, want?”

The monster wastes hardly a split second on her, dismissing her. “I won’t explain what you can’t understand.”

Great, a mysterious entity was going to take in their ship without so much as an explanation. Killer way to go. Beginning to sweat she licks her lips and tries to formulate some kind of coherent plan. Something that’ll get them out of here and back to the safety of other…regular people.

In her ear the AI buzzes, splitting her attention. “Pathfinder, I have almost regained control of the ship. I need a few more seconds.”

And…? What, was she supposed to distract Halo? Put their lives in the hands of an AI she didn’t trust?

_You’re responsible for these people_.

Okay, yes, distractions. She’s good at that. She licks her lips again and turns back to Halo, face hardened. He doesn’t want to explain what’s going on then fine, she doesn’t need to play by Addison and Tann’s rules. First contact be damned; she wants to get back to the Nexus alive.

“Who the hell do you think you are, huh? I did _not_ travel this far just to end it with some dick like you, okay? You want my ship then you’d better have a damned good reason.”

“Enough!” booms Halo, features unchanging. She hates that she can’t tell what they’re thinking, can’t figure them out even when they’re right in front of her. Moreover, she loathes that it acts as if it’s better than her, as if it’s already decided everything for her. Her dad had been good at that too but what did she do to this thing? What, did screwing with the remnant set it off? If that’s the case she’s more than happy to tell it to fuck off—they need the vaults from what it looks like.

In her ear the AI prattles on about what can be done once systems are back online and when she turns back she sees a few crew members beginning to panic. They’re going to die if they don’t get away from these ships, they all know it, and if the kett doesn’t get them there’s the possibility they could get stuck in the scourge, it’s presence marring the system like old wounds.

Or…could they use the scourge to their advantage?

“Your defiance is naive and reckless,” Halo continues, though she’s hardly listening at this point. “This day marks the beginning of—”

As soon as she’s able to she shuts off the comm link. Halo’s face disappears from the monitors, the ship’s reins returning to them. She glances at the Salarian on her right, his mouth open as he stares at the empty monitors. Up until that point his fingers had been flying as he pushed things up and running.

“Kallo?”

“Yes, Pathfinder?” He’s back on track.

“SAM’s plotted a course through the scourge. Do you think you can follow it?”

He doesn’t hesitate, adding the course to his navpoint and quickly changing the ship’s course. Holding on, the Pathfinder remains at the helm and stares at the biggest of the ships, smirking. She hopes Halo’s watching, hopes she’s pissed it off.

“Hang on, guys,” she warns the crew as the Tempest backpedals from the armada, weaving through space and heading directly for a large patch of scourge. Behind them several smaller ships begin a warranted pursuit. “If we’re lucky we get out of here and lose a couple of them in the process.”

The Tempest boosts into overdrive, taking a nosedive through the toxic matter and bobbing through the strands with very little clearance. She knows it’s making Kallo nervous, he’s muttering to himself over what this ship is capable of. If they’re really lucky it’s a lot more capable than anything they ever dreamed of. She can already hear Addison bitching at her for misusing resources but she’d waste everything if it meant making it back in one piece.

The further they get from the armada the worse the scourge becomes. Behind them a tracking ship implodes when it dives straight into the stuff. Kallo’s in his own world as they narrowly avoid the same fate, pulling straight and making a jagged turn for a clearer path. On the bridge crew members are lurching to and fro, failing to heed her warning about hanging on and she kindly reminds them once more.

“Hold onto something or your head’s gonna get bashed in!”

“Get us out of here, Rosé,” Liam responds between gritted teeth, reluctantly grabbing the nearest control panel. Cora latches onto him for good measure, the two hoping against hope this will turn out alright. They’ve been behind her with every new step—she can’t fail them now.

“Working on it,” she seethes back, having never left the control deck. If they hit the scourge then at least she’ll see it coming head on.

Another ship implodes behind them: Suvi grunts in approval. Gaining confidence the Pathfinder crouches, leaning over the railing and gazing into the abyss of the scourge. Looking at it like this she realizes it could act as protection…if they were able to cruise through it with ease. Until then, keeping an eye on it is for the best.

Far ahead, nestled between pockets of the matter, she spies a clean canvas of stars. The AI informs her it’ll be a tight fit but it may be their only option out of here. She calls out to her right; Kallo’s ahead of her and gunning for it. Another exclamation from Suvi when a third cruiser strikes a bolt of scourge and overloads.

Vetra’s made it to Kallo’s chair, she’s anxiously eyeing his coordinates. This wasn’t what she signed up for months ago. “Kallo…”

“We got this!” the Pathfinder hollers, crouching lower at the deck and cringing as the threshold grows near. The AI wasn’t kidding when it said it’d be tight. Checking the dash she’s dismayed to find a final cruiser following their path, buzzing right behind them like an unwanted pest. Free space is so close they can almost taste it…

“Got it,” Suvi sighs in relief as she locks on to the final cruiser. “Kallo, pull up—”

“There’s only so much clearance, Suvi—”

The Pathfinder ends their argument with a curt bark to make it work. Lowering his head Kallo follows orders, kicking the Tempest even higher. It shoots out of the scourge and into clear space, the last cruiser failing to follow maneuvers. It’s ensnared in the scourge’s thorny tangles while they zip freely into the depths of…wherever they ended up.

The silence of safety follows. Everyone collectively relaxes, Pathfinder included. Knees on the main deck she glances to her right and left—those two have single-handedly saved the Tempest crew. In the back the Krogan even offers kudos to Kallo; the Salarian’s almost blushing. Happy they’re at least alive the Pathfinder rights herself and leans against the deck controls, surveying the dark system before them. It doesn’t look like one the Nexus has mapped out yet but then again, none of them do. She hasn’t exactly read any of the material Addison scolded her over.

“Does anyone have any idea who the guy with the halo is?” she idly asks the crew, content to breathe and bask in being alive. Man does it feel good to be alive. Cora volunteers Halo as a potential leader for the kett—no kidding. Drack agrees, mentions finding directives from someone called the Archon back on Eos. The Pathfinder likes Halo better but now they have a name at least. Now that they mention it the Archon does sound familiar. Wasn’t there a lab she and Liam found on Habitat Seven that contained the same type of orders? Is it too late to go back and check?

“Pathfinder,” Gil’s voice cuts in on her ear, tone urgent and quick. Mechanical errors are wailing in the background and it makes her want to cover her ears. “We’ve ah, got a bit of trouble down here. You need to find us a port— _now_.”

A port? If it’s not one thing it’s another. Where the hell are they even? The only port she knows of is the Nexus and Eos but that’s not really a port yet, more like a—

_You’re responsible for these people_.

Right. She leans forward on the deck again, fruitlessly scanning the dark for some kind of planet that screams hospitable. A couple signs would be nice. “Where’d we end up anyway? Suvi? Kallo?”

Suvi’s already looking into it, lips pursed yet remaining hopeful. She scans through a couple diagnostic reports, then glances the Pathfinder’s way. “Sensors are damaged but…you know that vault you wanted to crack? I think we’re near it’s coordinates. We might be able to make it there.”

Right, the vaults. Not the Nexus. Damnit. Taking a deep breath she tries to find the plot in the window ahead of them but still sees nothing. Well, anything is better than nothing, especially if the engine’s damaged. She crosses her arms, mind made up. “Give it what you can, Gil. We’re setting down ASAP.”

Until then….she’d like to at least get out of her pajamas and into something more appropriate. Kallo sets course immediately and she heads for her room at the same pace, grateful to get away from the main bridge despite the crew’s suddenly elevated mood. As glad as she is they’re all alive she would’ve much rather never met Halo’s imposing force in the first place.

“Rosé.” Liam’s voice follows her down the hall and she cringes again; she can’t face him. He knows what a lousy leader she is. He’s seen her in action. Trading rights to bandits on Eos because she didn’t want to hurt feelings, leading them on pointless treks just to find the dead of previous teams, wasting magazines upon magazines of bullets on a single enemy… None of what she's done so far has put her on the path to win the heart of the Initiative, she already knows that, but it’s difficult when she’s afraid of literally everything out here. “Rosé, hold up.”

He’s trotted right after her to the door of her quarters and she spins around there, waiting expectantly. He always has that goofy smile, even in the midst of a crisis. It makes sense given his background. He should’ve been Pathfinder.

“Yeah?”

“Who was that up there?” he jovially inquires, tone teasing. His smile grows as she shyly ducks her head and feigns disinterest. “Come on, the commander giving orders and spitting in the Archon’s face? That’s a pretty big change from our last trip ground side. What’s gotten into you?”

_I’m the one they’ll exile if the crew doesn’t come back_.

“Nothing,” she squeaks, back pushing into the doorway, toes coming together in a V. “I…they’re my responsibility now. I have to be…brave.”

“Ah,” he tuts in complete understanding, cozying up with the wall as well. He knocks shoulders with her, encouraging her. “Bravery in the face of danger. I get it.”

The Pathfinder’s not entirely certain of it; her crew isn’t stupid. She laces her fingers together at her waist. “Do you think they bought it?”

He chortles and shoves off to head to the crew’s cabin. “Tch, not likely. Don’t worry, boss. We’ll work on it.”

She watches him go, glad someone’s willing to support her. This is doable, possible. Maybe her dad was right. Maybe she can handle this. She has to.

But as she reenters her quarters the bravado disappears and she crumples to her bed, limbs shaking. What the hell was she thinking? She basically flipped the Archon off. It felt right in the moment but what about later? What if it follows them through the scourge? What if they run into the armada again? They’re only a single ship and definitely not a war cruiser—there isn’t even a cannon on the exterior. If her actions piss the Archon off, what happens when it finds out there are more people like them?

_You’re responsible for these people now, Rosé_. _Breathe in, out, in, out. It doesn’t matter what you feel, you have to take care of them._

But what if she doesn’t want to? This wasn’t her choice. She’s not prepared for combat; she doesn’t even know how to swing her omni-tool right like Cora. Sooner or later her team’s going to find out she can’t hold herself together. She wasn’t supposed to be some glorified scout.

“Pathfinder,” Suvi’s voice buzzes in her ear just as she’s found a comfortable spot on her bed to watch the stars pass by, listless and hoping to sleep off the rest of their trip. “I…we’re in range of the vault, but…we’re being contacted.”

Her AI confirms this is the case. Agitated she can’t curl up and recuperate she rolls over and sulks back for the main deck. At least she’s found leggings to pull on this time. As she climbs up the ladder she tells herself this is it, this is show time. She can be a crybaby all she wants in her room but not out here. Out here she needs to sell herself, sell hope. Do whatever it takes to get them home safe.

The rest of the crew is still on hand when she arrives. She wonders when they suddenly found the time to stand around and gawk. At least Liam’s got her back. He nods encouragement when she passes; they both know what she needs to do.

“It better not be the kett,” she grouses upon sliding up to the control deck, eyes keenly scanning their dash for any sign of Halo’s ships. It’s a lot different than when she left, an entire planet taking up the window and growing closer by the second. Heavy red and grey clouds roll across it’s surface, lightning dancing in it’s midst. If they’re already in orbit then…it probably isn’t the kett. The hairs on the back of her neck rise as it hits her for the umpteenth time that there are more than just monsters out here. Probably.

To her left Suvi cringes and opens their comm. As if on queue modest ships rise from the clouds to surround the Tempest, guarding it as it descends. They don’t look like kett ships, at least none her crew’s ever seen.

The radio crackles and fills the main deck with foreign words, things her translator can’t understand. Rubbing at an ear the Pathfinder winces and turns to Suvi once more, hoping she can do something about the noise. The words come again, and even she knows it’s more demanding this time. Heart picking up, nerves beginning to panic, Rosé’s hands grip the deck and she glances behind her. They’re staring at her, the whole crew, waiting for her to do something other than stand here like an idiot.

Seeing the uncertainty Cora emerges from the crowd, trotting to Rosé’s left and leaning over the railing for a better look at the ships. “They don’t look like war ships. This might be the welcoming committee.”

“Right,” cajoles Liam, happy to step to the Pathfinder’s right. He knocks shoulders with her again, forcing a cheesy smile. “They must not have heard of us. Maybe they could stand for an introduction, Rosé.”

She swallows her doubts and nods fervently, back on track. Yes, introductions. That’s what first contact’s all about. She keeps the comm link open and takes a deep breath, mind fuzzy with worry. First impressions were never her strong suit but for the Tempest’s sake she’ll try.

“We’re visitors from another galaxy,” she humbly explains, the words strange in her mouth. She never sounds like this, so stilted and political. “Our uh….our intentions are peaceful.”

Peebee’s snickering in the background doesn’t help. When Rosé twists to side eye her she see’s Suvi’s got things under control, jabbing the Asari in the gut before it gets out of hand.

The comm is quiet for a moment before more chatter comes through, less daunting than before but still completely unhelpful. They could be saying anything but Kallo’s grunt of surprises catches the Pathfinder’s attention and she stands on tip toes to see over Liam and to her pilot. He’s frowning at his monitors.

“They’ve sent us a navpoint,” he finally explains, though it’s more of a question than an answer.

Attention back on the clouds before them the Pathfinder thinks it over. Should they follow the navpoint or leave? She’d like to leave; it’s the cowardly thing to do but at least they might live. Then again, they might not. Gil needs to work those kinks out in the engine room or they’ll go nowhere. These… _beings_ out there in their dorky little ships seem okay, she hopes. They haven’t annihilated the Tempest anyway.

“Alright,” she decides, tone light, hopeful. Hands still holding onto the deck she leans back, shoulders relaxing. “Let’s see who we’re dealing with. Kallo, set her down.”

The Tempest continues it’s descent, several more carriers following as it dives beneath the planet’s cloud cover. The Pathfinder wants to tell the crew something reassuring but once the clouds dissipate a lush expanse of mountains and misty shallows greets them. She’s at a loss for words, eyes going wide as the Tempest hurtles toward what looks like some kind of civilization built into a hillside. Waterfalls spill from it’s sides, with aesthetically pleasing buildings rising from the greenery and water.

This is what Andromeda held? How did they miss this and end up on Habitat Seven? Her dad was missing the best part of the galaxy so far. She thinks about that as the Tempest glides into the city, slowing to a crawl as it begins the docking process. While the rest of the crew excitedly clamors over the prospect of a new hub she’s busy staring at the land beyond, amazed by how close to Earth it appears. Coming here will always be a mistake but…maybe it won’t be as bad as they thought. Maybe there are other worlds like this.

Her AI tells her there’s a welcoming party waiting for her on their dock. Forcing herself to focus on more pressing business she pushes away from the deck and heads for the airlock, not at all ready but completely intent on getting this over with. If there are people out in Andromeda then they need to make contact and maybe not in the same way they met the kett. SAM’s already indicated the atmosphere’s safe to breathe, not like that’s very reassuring these days but again, at least she looks decent. The Archon probably wasn’t taking her seriously because she wasn’t wearing any pants. These guys might.

“Whoa, whoa,” Vetra interrupts, hopping to her side as they head for the door. “Please—you’re not going out there on your own, Rosé.” She heard about what happened on Eos; she’s obviously nervous about letting the black sheep of the Ryder clan loose.

“I am,” the Pathfinder disagrees, blanching regardless. If these people turn out to be hostile she’d like the rest of them to book it off this rock immediately, with or without her. She’s the Pathfinder, sure, but she can think of a lot of people who’d do a better job. She won’t be missed—Vetra will. “We can’t afford a repeat of last time. You guys stay alert and stay put. First contact’s on me, okay?”

Harrumphing at the absurdity of it all, Liam starts in on opening the airlock. “Most important thing ever—no pressure, boss.”

If she dies out there she hopes Liam’s put in charge. She’s unable to help herself as she smiles in his direction, relieved someone’s confident in her abilities.

The airlocks hisses open and she dives into the box, humid air hitting her as it mingles with the ship’s sterile environment.  Swiveling on her heels she holds up a hand, two fingers raised in the air at her crew. “It’s been real, guys. Oh! If I get eaten alive though—even if it’s hilarious PeeBee—please destroy the vids. I can’t give Addison that kind of satisfaction, alright?”


End file.
